#dbf2016

The Frankfurt Book Fair will begin this Wednesday at the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds, showcasing not only the best of publishing from 2016, but also the newest technology to hit the literary world. The annual five day event is the world’s largest trade fair for books and dates back over 500 years, beginning shortly after the invention of the Gutenberg printing press in Mainz.

The fair will run from October 19th until October 23rd and is expected to attract some 275,000 visitors from around the world. The book fair is set to include 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries. This will give visitors the chance to explore thousands of new book titles and meet their favorite authors.

The guests of honor are Flanders and the Netherlands, who under the slogan of “This is what we share” will have eight institutions highlighting novels, poetry, and nonfiction works of the region in addition to 99 Flemish and Dutch authors of every genre. This year alone Flanders and the Netherlands have contributed 454 new titles to the fair.

German Book Award Recipient

Preempting the official start was the announcement of the German Book Prize recipient of 2016. Author Bodo Kirchhoff won for his love story “Widerfahrnis”. The novel was chosen among five other contenders for its “multilayered text that masterfully weaves together the existential questions of private and political life,” said Heinrich Riethmüller of the Foundation of German Publishers and the Booksellers Association. The novel is the second Italian adventure novel to win the German Book Prize and revolves around the story of two people attracted to the country of Italy who are searching for happiness and love.

Literature Goes High Tech

The invention of the first e-reader in 2007 exposed audiences to the idea that literature and technology are not mutually exclusive, and presented a springboard for the creation of additional innovations that would expand the reader’s experience. Since then, new technology has continually been a staple of each year’s book fair.

The main draws of this year’s conference will be those drawing in virtual reality, which gives an attractive new canvas for authors and artists to showcase their talents. Technological highlights range from visual to educational. Virtual reality headsets will bring Tiawanese artist Jimmy Liao’s picture book “All of My World Is You” to life by allowing visitors to interact with the main character and competing together in games. Educational projects will include an app that creates 3D print outs of organs to use in science classrooms in addition to interactive textbooks.